overeating

10 pounds made the difference between actually living and simply surviving. A year ago, I based my self-worth off the number describing the gravitational pull of my body toward the earth. I felt that my body’s natural hunger cues were signs of weakness. I believed that if I could only run longer, see a gap… Read more »

Most of us have found ourselves eating to soothe a negative mood. Although it can work temporarily, hopefully it is not your go-to or only strategy to make yourself feel better. You’re better off if you can rely on it as one of many ways of coping with feeling down. Some alternative possibilities for navigating unpleasant… Read more »

Would you rather be sane and satiated or dieting and deprived? The answer seems obvious, but we live in an age of extreme diets and fake foods. We watch television shows called The Biggest Loser and Extreme Makeover Weight Loss—along with commercials for gooey pizza, hot cheese stretched lavishly to the limits of our food cue… Read more »

People often ask, “Is there such a thing as food addiction?” and the answer, for many, is a resounding “Yes!” Experts, dancing on the head of a pin, dismiss overeating as a “behavioral” addiction, much like gambling or Internet use. Substance use disorders are somehow more legitimate, garnering recognition and resources, i.e., insurance coverage. Meanwhile… Read more »

Last month, Michelle Obama made a special guest appearance on the long-running hit TV show, The Biggest Loser. I’d heard about the show’s premise: contestants who struggle with obesity and often face serious health risks relocate to a fitness ranch, where together they learn about nutrition, diet, and exercise, while competing to lose weight. But… Read more »

The tabloids and reality TV shows documenting the erratic, out-of-control behaviors associated with drinking and drugging may be giving us a skewed image of what constitutes addiction. You don’t have to off-road into a Beverly Hills boutique or engage in raging encounters to qualify as being an addict. Understanding whether you may have an addiction… Read more »